We have to go back
by so original
Summary: A short, abstract look into Kate and Jack's relationship postrescue. Elements of jate and skate. Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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_We shouldn't have left._

She should have stayed with him. She belonged with him. Why hadn't she realised it at the time? Why had she listened to what her head was telling her? What was the point of logic and sense when it led to this misery?

_How could you?_

It was his idea to leave the island. He'd convinced her. He'd told her it was for the best, that she should listen to him. And she did. He was a doctor, he was a leader, he was a hero.

He was a coward.

He left them to die. He didn't try hard enough. He should have convinced them to leave. He should have convinced the rescuers to wait. He should have tried to get back. He should have tried to save them.

_We have to go back._

They couldn't just leave them. They could still save them. They couldn't leave them on the island to die. That was what they were condemning them to. Death. Never-ending, one after the other. Who would be the last? It was inevitable; one person would be left alone. What if it was him? There would be no one to lay him to rest.

They had to save him. They had to save them.

_There's always someone to go back for._

Why couldn't she understand? She couldn't go back. It was too much of a risk. There'd been too much done getting them to safety, too many lives lost, too many sacrifices made. She couldn't throw it away.

He'd told her to go. He'd told her it was for the best. She'd listened to him.

Why wouldn't she listen now?

_They're dead._

It had been too long. There was no chance he was still alive. It was impossible.

They were too late.

_Don't give up._

She'd lost hope. She'd lost everything. He hated it. He tried to convince her she was wrong. She wouldn't listen. She never listened when he was trying to tell her something important. She only listened when it suited her.

He barely recognised her now.

_I need you._

She was alone. So alone. She hated it. She wanted comfort, she needed to feel something. She needed someone beside her. She wanted to feel loved, safe, secure.

She wanted to bring back memories. She wished he was here with her. But he wasn't.

She needed someone.

He was there.

_What did I do?_

How could she have been so stupid? As if _that_ would solve anything. When did she become this person? When did she become the woman who used sex for comfort, not really caring where it came from?

And it was with Jack. Positives and negatives, always. She knew him, she trusted him. A positive. She knew him, he was her friend. A negative. What had she done?

It couldn't happen again. Not with Jack, not with anyone. It was a dangerous path to be on. She had to pull herself together.

_What did I do?_

He'd taken advantage of her. Or she'd taken advantage of him. He wasn't sure, but he knew it didn't make a difference. She was hurt. And she blamed him.

It had been his idea to leave. He'd convinced her. But others had stayed. They hadn't listened to him. Where they right?

He had to believe they were still alive. Otherwise, it was his fault they were dead.

They were alive. They had to be. They were alive, and Kate had given up on them. And it was his fault. He had to fix it. For her. For them. For him.

_We have to go back._

She wouldn't listen. She avoided him. Because of what had happened, and because of what he'd become. It should never have come to this.

He had to convince her. She had to understand. He had to fix her. He had to save her.

He had to save them.

_We have to go back._

He had to make her understand, he was doing this for her.

_We have to go back._

Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

_We have to go back._

It didn't have to be this way.

_We have to go back._

They were past their help.

_We have to go back._

They could save them.

_We have to go back._

Was he right?

What if he was alive?

_Let's do this._

White, sandy beaches. Deep blue water. Home.

A crowd forming. Familiar faces, all of them. Relief. She'd thought they were dead.

Only one mattered.

His eyes sought her out immediately. She saw his relief mirroring her own. Her knees felt weak. It had been too long.

The distance between them shortened. After all this time, were they really so close?

She was in his arms. It was like she'd never left. This was what she'd been searching for. She'd finally found it.

_He did it._

He'd fixed her.

_End._

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_thoughts?_


End file.
